Communication node with digital plane interface

ABSTRACT

A solution is provided that can be used in a communication node. A case is provided that supports a first circuit board that is connected to a second circuit board via a connection. The first circuit board supports an integrated circuit module and the second circuit board supports a PHY module. A transformer box is mounted on the first circuit board and supports terminals for engagement with a mating connector. A third circuit board can be provided that is parallel to the second circuit board and is mounted on the transformer box so that termination of signals provided to the terminals can take place on a different circuit board than the second circuit board. The third circuit board can also provide power over Ethernet (POE) circuitry.

RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a national stage of International Application No.PCT/US2016/048549, filed Aug. 25, 2016, which claims priority to U.S.Provisional Application No. 62/209,448, filed Aug. 25, 2015, both ofwhich are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety.

TECHNICAL FIELD

This disclosure relates to field of network switches, more specificallyto an architecture that allows for improved performance and reducedcosts.

DESCRIPTION OF RELATED ART

Switches and routers and other communication devices (which shallcollectively be referred to as a communication node herein) are commonlyused to provide communication between different computing devices. Thecomputing devices, which can take a variety of forms, may be locatedwithin a rack in a server or may be located in dispersed locations inthe same server room, within the same building or somewhere elseentirely. Regardless of the location of the computing devices, thecommunication node will include a plurality of ports that allow cablesto connect the communication node to the various computing devices.

FIG. 1 illustrates a typical communication node 10. The communicationnode 10 includes a case 14 with a face 15 that has a plurality of ports18. The ports can be a variety of different configurations, such as,without limitation, QSFP receptacles, SEP receptacles, 8P8C (commonlyknown as an RJ45, which is the term that will used herein) or otherdesirable configuration and can be stacked, ganged or in a single portconfiguration. As can be appreciated, while ports are depicted as beingon the face 15, they can also be on other (and even multiple) faces ofthe case 14 if desired.

The case 14 supports a circuit board 30 (sometimes referred to as amotherboard) that in turn supports integrated circuit (IC) module 35.The IC module 35 can include various processing and memory components asis known in the industry and the desired level of functionality willdepend on the purpose and application that the communication mode isintended for. The circuit board 30 also supports a PHY module 45. ThePHY module 45 is configured to connect a link layer device (which can bereferred to a media access control or MAC) to a physical medium such acopper cables or optical fibers. Thus the PHY module 45 takes digitalsignals from the IC module 35 and converts those signals into analogsignals that can be transmitted over cables and optical fibers. The PHYmodule 45 also receives analog signals and converts those signals intodigital signals that can be provided to the IC module 35. As can beappreciated, the PHY module 45 can includes a number of functionalcircuits that can be combined as needed to support the particularprotocol(s) being supported.

As can be appreciated, the circuit board 30 tends to be relatively largeas it needs to support the IC module 35 (which can be a combination of anumber of different ASICs), as well as memory and other desiredcircuitry) and it also supports the PHY module 45 (that needs tocommunicate with the IC module 35) and needs to have sufficient space toallow the various ASICs positioned on it to be cooled (which may requireheat sinks to be mounted on the corresponding ASIC). The circuit boardalso supports ports 60.

The ports 60 can be provided in a variety of configuration, such as,without limitation, a combination of one or more of the industrystandard receptacles mounted on the circuit board 30. Examples ofpossible standard designs include, but are not limited to, SFP, QSFP,CXP, CFP, OCULINK or any other desirable connector configuration. As canbe further appreciated, the ports need not be configured for aparticular industry standard.

One issue that exists with the current architecture is that it tends tobe costly to implement. The PHY module 45 communicates with the ports 80using analog signals while the PHY module 45 communicates with the ICmodule 35 using digital signals (thus the PHY module 45 provides atransition between the digital and analog part of the communicationchannel). This creates a number of issues. One issue is that the digitalside of the communication channel tends to require more layers ofcircuit board in order to provide the appropriate number of channels ofcommunication between the various circuits that make up the IC module35. This can result in a circuit board with a larger number of layers,which increases the cost of the entire system. As a result, certainindividuals would appreciate further improvements in the configurationof a communication node 10.

SUMMARY

An architecture is disclosed for use in devices that are configured tooperate as a communication node. A case is provided that supports afirst and second circuit board. The first circuit board is configured totransmit digital signals to support an integrated circuit (IC) module.The second circuit board is configured to support both digital andanalog signals. The first circuit board is connected to the secondcircuit board via one or more connectors. The second circuit boardsupports a port module that includes a plurality of ports that areprovided on a face of the housing. The use of the two circuit boardsallows for a digital plane interface between the plurality of ports andthe IC module.

A transformer box can be mounted on the second circuit board and caninclude a first terminal set that is configured to engage a matingconnector. A transformer can be used to couple the first terminal set ona line side of the transformer to traces on a chip side of thetransformer. A third circuit board can be aligned next to thetransformer box in a parallel orientation to the second circuit boardand the signal termination can take place on the second circuit board.The third circuit board can configured to provide power over Ethernet(POE) to the first terminal set.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The present invention is illustrated by way of example and not limitedin the accompanying figures in which like reference numerals indicatesimilar elements and in which:

FIG. 1 illustrates a perspective view an embodiment of a prior artcommunication node.

FIG. 2 illustrates a schematic representation of a prior artcommunication node.

FIG. 3A illustrates a schematic representation of an embodiment of acommunication node.

FIG. 3B illustrates another schematic representation of an embodiment ofa communication node.

FIG. 3C illustrates another schematic representation of an embodiment ofa communication node.

FIG. 4 illustrates another schematic representation of an embodiment ofa communication node.

FIG. 5 illustrates another schematic representation of an embodiment ofa communication node.

FIG. 6 illustrates a perspective view of an embodiment of a port moduleand a plurality of circuit boards.

FIG. 7 illustrates another perspective view of the embodiment depictedin FIG. 6.

FIG. 8 illustrates a perspective exploded view of the embodimentdepicted in FIG. 6.

FIG. 9 illustrates a simplified perspective view of the embodimentdepicted in FIG. 6.

FIG. 10 illustrates another perspective view of the embodiment depictedin FIG. 9.

FIG. 11 illustrates a simplified perspective view of the embodimentdepicted in FIG. 9.

FIG. 12 illustrates an enlarged perspective view of the embodimentdepicted in FIG. 11.

FIG. 13 illustrates a partially exploded perspective view of theembodiment depicted in FIG. 12.

FIG. 14 illustrates an exploded perspective view of an embodiment of atransformer box mounted on a circuit board.

FIG. 15 illustrates a simplified perspective view of the embodimentdepicted in FIG. 12.

FIG. 16 illustrates a perspective cross-sectional view of the embodimentdepicted in FIG. 15, taken along line 16-16.

FIG. 17 illustrates a partially exploded perspective view of theembodiment depicted in FIG. 16.

FIG. 18 illustrates a schematic representation of an embodiment of atransformer.

FIG. 19 illustrates a perspective view of an embodiment of a transformerbox.

FIG. 20 illustrates another perspective view of the embodiment depictedin FIG. 19.

FIG. 21 illustrates another perspective view of the embodiment depictedin FIG. 19.

FIG. 22 illustrates a perspective simplified view of an embodiment of aport module and a plurality of circuit boards.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The detailed description that follows describes exemplary embodimentsand the features disclosed are not intended to be limited to theexpressly disclosed combination(s). Therefore, unless otherwise noted,features disclosed herein may be combined together to form additionalcombinations that were not otherwise shown for purposes of brevity.

FIGS. 3A-5 schematically illustrate embodiments of a communication node100. It should be noted that the schematic representations depicted inFIGS. 3A-5 are intended to be positioned in a case and thus are expectedto be compatible with conventional communication node construction, atleast with respect to the external interface that allows thecommunication node to be mounted in a server rack and communicate withother devices.

Looking at the FIGS., a case 114 (which can be formed of a conductivematerial) supports a first circuit board 130 that in turn supports an ICmodule 135. In an embodiment the circuit board 130 is supported by legs195 that support the circuit board above the case 114. The circuit board130 will typically have 6 or more layers and can include 24 or morelayers if desired. As noted above, the IC module 135 can include anumber of separate components, including digital processors, digitalsignal processor circuits, memory, encryption circuits and the like,that are in communication with each other. Thus, the IC module 135 canbe configured in any desirable manner with any desirable set of ASICsthat provide the desired functionality and these components are beingcollectively referred to as the IC module herein.

The case 114 also supports a second circuit board 140 (as depicted thesecond circuit board 140 is supported by legs 195 but could also besupported by other mechanical structures) The second circuit board 140supports a PHY module 145 that is configured to receive and send analogsignals and send and receive digital signals. The PHY module 145 is incommunication with the first circuit board 130 (and thus the IC module135) via connector 180 and/or connector 181, which can provide a numberof channels for communication therebetween. In an embodiment theconnector(s) can provide more than 40 channels of communication. Becausethe signals between the PHY module 145 and the IC module 135 aredigital, the PHY module 145 can be spaced apart from the IC module 135by significant distances (e.g., more than 13 cm) if desired.

The PHY module 145 is also in communication with a port module 160,which can be a plurality of ports in one or more desired configurations.The port module 160 provides an interface that allows the PHY module 145to communicate with external components.

As the circuit board 140 is separate from the circuit board 130, thenumber of layers provided on the circuit board 140 can be different thanthe number of layers on the circuit board 130. In an embodiment thecircuit board 140 can have about 6 layers while the circuit board 130can have 8 or more layers.

One additional advantage of the bifurcated circuit board design depictedis that the circuit board 140 can be made of a higher performingmaterial. As is known, when supporting high data rates it is oftennecessary to use signaling frequencies that approach 10 or more GHz. A50 Gbps channel, for example, might require the use of signaling at 25GHz (if NRZ encoding is used, for example). Typical circuit boardmaterials, such as FR4, are poorly suited to such high frequencies andcreate significant insertion loss at frequencies about 10 GHz. Othermaterials exist that are better suited to high frequencies common inanalog circuits but tend to be substantially more expensive. Materialssuch as NELCO-N4000, for example, provide a much lower loss as highfrequencies.

Consequentially, the depicted design allows for selective use ofmaterials. For applications where the PRY module is working with higherfrequencies it is possible to use an alternative material for circuitboard 140 with losses that are 25% or more lower than what FR4 wouldprovide while continuing to use FR4 for digital circuits (as FR4 isoften suitable for digital circuits where the issues that are present inan analog circuit are not nearly as problematic). This allows theselective use of materials, based on the application requirements,without using more layers or more expensive materials where they are notneeded. And for situations where the circuit board 130 needs a highernumber of layers to manage all the channels of communication, thecircuit board 140 can be made of some lesser number of layers (typicallynot more than 6 layers will be needed) and thus oiler a cost savingsthat extends over the entire surface of the circuit board 140.

As can be appreciated, while two circuit boards are shown, additionalcircuit boards could be added. In an embodiment, for example, a firstcircuit board that is intended to work with digital signals could beposition in the housing and could be coupled to second circuit board anda third different circuit board, the second and third circuit boardsconfigured to provide analog signals. The second and third circuitboards could be positioned adjacent each other and could also bepositioned on two different sides of the first circuit board. Thus, thedepicted embodiment provide for substantial architectural flexibility.

FIG. 3B illustrates additional features that can be incorporated into acommunication node. Specifically, it includes an IC module 135 supportedby a circuit board 130 that communicates with a PRY module 145 oncircuit board 140 via signal communication assembly 190. The use ofsignal communication assembly 190 (which can be connectors and cables)such a system is expected to significantly reduce losses between thecircuit board 130 and the circuit board 140 as the signal communicationassembly 190 will tend to have lower loss than the use of circuit boardmaterials. This will allow the circuit board 130 to provide the desiredfunctionality without the need to worry about transmitting signalsacross a substantial distance.

Additional features include a power source 134 that can provide power tothe circuit board 140 with power transmission assembly 191 (that canalso include cables and connectors). As in FIG. 3A, a port module 160 isprovided to allow the communication node to communicate with externaldevices. A power regulator can be included with the PHY module 145 so asto ensure the power provided by the power source 134 is suitablycontrolled (which will, in certain circumstances, allow the port moduleto operate more effectively). An additional communication assembly 192can be used to help control the operation of the PHY module 140 byproviding various communication, control and timing signals, as desired,to ensure the PHY module 140 is operating in an intended manner.

FIG. 3C illustrates another embodiment that is similar to the embodimentdepicted in FIG. 3B but includes separate circuit boards 140 a-140 dthat each support a port module 145 a-145 d, respectively. Each circuitboard 140 a-140 d also supports a respective PHY module 145 a-145 d anda respective port module 160 a-160 d. The power transmission assembly191 and signal communication assembly 190 are also included but can beconfigured so that a separate path is provided to each of the circuitboards 140 a-140 d. Control communication assemblies 192 a-192 d, whichcan extend between two circuit boards 140 a-140 d or between the circuitboard 130 and one of the circuit boards 140 a-140 d or some combinationthereof, allow for the provision of communication, control and timingsignals to the MY modules 145 a-145 d as desired.

FIG. 4 illustrates a schematic representation of the features depictedin FIG. 3A and illustrates a potential physical orientation. As can beappreciated, supports 195 can be used to support the circuit boards 130,140 in a case 114 so that port module 160 is positioned on a face 115 ofthe case 114. As noted above, one or more connectors 180 (which can beany desired type of connector system such as a cable assembly or boardto board connector) can be used to provide signal paths between thecircuit board 130, 140.

FIG. 5 illustrates a schematic representation of an embodiment with aconfiguration that includes features of the port module 160 and PHYmodule 145 combined but in a particular physical configuration that hasbeen determined to be beneficial for certain applications. As depicted,a first circuit board 202 is configured to support a contact andmagnetics assembly 201 on a first side (and as depicted, optionally on asecond side) and the first circuit board also supports a signalmodulation circuit 206 (the signal modulation circuit is typically partof the PHY module 145). A communication connection 205 allows the signalmodulation circuit 206 to communicate with an ASIC in a digital fashionwhile a voltage connection 208 is provided to support the signalmodulation circuit 206.

The contact and magnetic assembly 201 includes a line interface 220(which is typically part of a port module and can be an RJ45 connectoror some other desirable interface) that is connected to magnetics 221.The magnetics 221 functions in a conventional manner and allows forcommunication of signals between the line interface 220 and a deviceinterface 222 while providing some electrical isolation. As depicted,the line interface 220 terminates to a second circuit board 203 via atermination circuit 204, which can be any desired termination circuit.The device interface 222 is connected to the first circuit board 202 andthus to the signal modulation circuit 206. As can be appreciated,therefore, the line interface 220 can be electrically isolated from thefirst circuit board 202 even though the signal modulation circuit 206 isconfigured to provide signals to the line interface 220 via themagnetics 222.

One benefit of the depicted configuration is that the second circuitboard 203 (which would be a third circuit board in a system where aseparate circuit board was used for a IC module) can include powerinjection into the termination via a power connection 207 and in anembodiment the power can be inserted into the twisted pair via atermination circuit such as termination circuit 204 while ensuring thereis good electrical isolation between the first circuit board 202 and thesecond circuit board 203 (as can be appreciated from the depictedembodiment, there can be two second circuit boards 203). This canpotentially reduce the need for isolation capacitors and can, even ifthe isolation capacitors are used, allow for improved performance as thefirst circuit board 202 can be optimized for signal performance and/ormade smaller without the need to compensate for electrical isolation.

The second circuit board 203 also includes a communication connection205 and a regulation circuit 209. It should be noted that each circuitcan include a connection to other components and thus the depictedconfiguration allows for wires/cables to be connected to the illustratedcircuits.

As can be appreciated, the second circuit board 203 can be positioned ontwo sides of the first circuit board. Power for the provision ofPower-over-Ethernet (POE) can be provided on the second circuit boards203 and thus POE power can be kept separate from the first circuit board202. Numerous benefits can be provided by the depicted configuration

FIGS. 6-22 illustrate an exemplary configuration of the embodiment thatis schematically represented in FIG. 5. It should be noted that thedepicted embodiment does not show all the circuitry for purposes ofbrevity as the particular circuitry used will depend on the chipsmounted on circuit board as well as the desired functionality andcapabilities of the final assembly and the chip(s) being used. It shouldalso be noted that circuitry is intended to be inclusive of anydesirable configuration and could be, without limitation, an FPGA chip,a module, a transceiver or any desirable combination of components andintegrated circuits.

The depicted front module assembly 325 includes a port module 360 thatincludes a housing 361 with a cage 362 that at least partially extendsaround a perimeter of the housing 361. The port module 360 defines upperports 360 a and lower ports 360 b. Typical front module assemblies willinclude a plurality of ports in a stacked and ganged configuration (asdepicted) and it should be noted that a port module can readily includemore or less than the depicted 6 ports and in alternative embodimentsthe configuration may not include stacked ports. As can be appreciated,one benefit of the stacked configuration is the ability to reduce costscompared to a pure ganged configuration, as will be discussed furtherbelow.

The depicted front module assembly 325 includes a first circuit board312 and two second circuit board 313. The first circuit board 312 caninclude circuitry 316 that receives and transmits signals and thus thecircuitry 316 will typically include a PHY module as well as otherdesirable chips and components (such as a media independent interfacechip or microcontroller) used to filter and modify received and sentsignals, as well as to communicate with the digital part of the system.In the depicted configuration the first circuit board does not includePower over Ethernet (POE) elements and instead the power insertioncircuitry (which can be conventional POE circuitry) and any desiredtermination circuitry (such as the termination known as the Bob-Smithtermination) can be included on the second circuit boards 313. As can beappreciated, such a configuration allows the power insertion componentryand higher voltage touching components to be provided on the secondcircuit board 313, thus allowing for a simpler layout on the firstcircuit board 312. A cable connection (not shown), such as powercommunication assembly 191 depicted in FIG. 3C, can be included asdesired to provide power to the second circuit board 313. While notshown for purposes of brevity, the first circuit board 312 will alsoinclude a signal communication assembly 190 to allow the first circuitboard 312 to communicate with a processor provided on another circuitboard.

As can be appreciated, the first circuit board 312 supports atransformer box 340. In a ganged configuration a plurality oftransformer boxes 340 can be positioned side-by-side on the firstcircuit board 312. In a ganged configuration, transformer boxes 340 canbe positioned on two sides of the first circuit board (such as isdepicted in FIG. 9). Each transformer box 340 includes transformerhousing 340 a and a terminal frame 343 that supports a first terminalset 341 a, 341 b and the transformer boxes, if desired, can beconfigured the same on both sides of the first circuit board 312. Asdepicted, the first terminal sets 341 a, 341 b provide a row ofterminals 342 and the terminal frame 343 is integral with thetransformer housing 340 a. In an embodiment the row of terminals 342 ispositioned in a comb 364 provided by the housing 361 but such aconstruction is not required. The transformer box 340 can optionallysupport one or more light pipes 359 and a corresponding light emittingdiode (LED) can be positioned on the circuit board 312 so that the LEDis covered by the transformer box 340.

The transformer box 340 supports a plurality of transformers 346 thatare used to pass the signals received from the first terminal sets 341a, 341 b (from a line side) to second terminal sets 344 (e.g., to a chipside) that can be connected to a chip (such as a chip in a PHY module)on the circuit board 312. The first terminal set 341 a includes tails343 a that can be connected to wires. As can be appreciated, thetransformer box 340 includes an interior 345 and is depicted asproviding a transformer 346 (which includes a ferrite core 347 a andwindings 347 b) that magnetically couples the signal wires connected tothe tails 343 a of first terminal set 341 a, 341 b to signal wires thatare connected to tails 344 a of the second terminal set 344. The secondterminal set 344 also includes solder tails 344 b that can be solderedto the circuit board 312. The transformer box 340 also includes boardretention members 348 a, 348 b that can be used to secure thetransformer box 340 to the respective circuit boards 312, 313.

If desired, the transformer box 340 could be increased in size and alsoused to support one or more filtering components. The transformer box340 is also depicted as including termination pins 349, which areconfigured to engage vias 355 in the second circuit board 313. Thetermination pins 349 can be connected to a centertap of each pair ofwires and can provide, in combination on the second circuit board 313 aBob-Smith termination or some other desirable termination (as notedabove). Thus the termination pins 349 can be connected to the centertapCT in FIG. 18 (which naturally allows for power insertion into thetransformer by applying a voltage to the centertap CT). Such a voltage,as is known, is electrically separated from the centertap CT′ (which ison the chip side) and thus the chip side (S′+, S′−, CT′) do not requirehigh voltage separation (such as could be provided by a 2 kV capacitor).As the use of transformers for signal coupling and power insertioncompatible with POE standards is well known, no further discussion willbe provided herein. As can be appreciated, the depicted configurationallows for the termination of the line side signals to be done on thesecond circuit board 313 while the signals are pass through thetransformer so as to be provided/passed to traces on the first circuitboard (for eventual connection to a PHY module). Naturally, if thesecond board is not provided then the termination could also occur onthe first circuit board 312 but such a configuration may require morespace on the first circuit board 312.

The depicted transformer box 340 includes a front aperture 352 and arear aperture 353. It has been determined that the inclusion of thefront and rear apertures 352, 353 are beneficial in forming thetransformer box 340 as it allows the first set of terminals 341 a andthe second sets of terminals 344 to be insert-molded into thetransformer housing 340 a (the apertures provides a way to hold theterminals in the desired position). In an embodiment the first andsecond terminal sets each have their respective tails bent/extendingaway from the aperture aligned with the corresponding set of tails. Inthe event that it is desired, the transformer box can also include anotch 354 to allow for a channel of air communication through thetransformer housing 340 a at a location aligned with the tails 344 a.This could be desirable, for example, if the tails 344 a were alsosoldered to the circuit board 312. It should be noted that once theinternal components of the transformer box 340 are electricallyconnected together the internal components can be epoxied or potted inplace to help secure and protect the wires/ferrite core used to providethe desired functionality.

As can be appreciated from FIG. 22, the first circuit board 312 and thesecond circuit board 313 are positioned on opposite side of atransformer 346 such that the first circuit board can define a firstplane 371, the second circuit board 313 can define a second plane 372and the transformer 346 can define a third plane 373, the third plane373 being aligned with a center of the transformer 346, wherein each ofthe planes 371-373 are parallel to each other and the third plane 373 isparallel to the first plane 371 and between the first plane 371 andsecond plane 372. The transformer 346 includes a line side electricallyconnected to first terminal set 341 and includes a chip sideelectrically connected to terminal set 344. As can be appreciated, powercan be inserted in the second plane 372 and thus the third plane 373electrically connects the second plane 372 with the first plane 371 sothat power can be supplied to the first terminal set 341 a. The terminalset 344 is positioned on the first plane 371 and is electricallyisolated from the first terminal set 341 a. Thus, on the line side,power can be provided in the second plane 372, pass through the thirdplane 373 to the first plane 371 while being kept isolated from the chipside on the first plane 371.

The disclosure provided herein describes features in terms of preferredand exemplary embodiments thereof. Numerous other embodiments,modifications and variations within the scope and spirit of the appendedclaims will occur to persons of ordinary skill in the art from a reviewof this disclosure.

We claim:
 1. A communication node, comprising: a case having a firstface; a first circuit board supported by the case, the first circuitboard supporting an integrated circuit (IC) module; a second circuitboard supported by the case, the second circuit board supporting a PHYmodule; a port module supported by the second circuit board and incommunication with the PHY module via the second circuit board, the portmodule providing a plurality of ports in the first face; and a connectorelectrically connecting the first circuit board to the second circuitboard, wherein the PHY module is in communication with the IC module viathe second circuit board, the connector and the first circuit board. 2.The communication node of claim 1, wherein the first circuit board has afirst number of layers and the second circuit board has a second numberof layers, the first number being greater than the second number.
 3. Thecommunication node of claim 2, wherein the first face is at least 13 cmfrom the IC module.
 4. A communication node, comprising: a case with afront face; a first circuit board positioned in the case; an integratedcircuit (IC) module supported by the first circuit board; a secondcircuit board positioned in the case, the second circuit board have afirst side and a second side; a PHY module supported by the secondcircuit board; a connector configured to provide communication betweenthe IC module and the PHY module; a first transformer box and mounted onthe first side; and a second transformer box mounted in the second side,wherein the first and second transformer boxes each have a housing withan interior and the housings each supports a first terminal set and asecond terminal set, wherein each first terminal set is configured toengage a mating connector and the second terminal set is configured tobe connected to traces on the second circuit board, wherein the firstand second terminals sets in each transformer box are coupled via atransformer provided in the transformer box and both the first andsecond terminals sets extend into the interior of the respectivetransformer box.
 5. The communication node of claim 4, wherein a thirdcircuit board is mounted on the first transformer box, the third circuitboard including a termination for the first transformer box.
 6. Thecommunication node of claim 5, wherein the first terminal set is alignedwith a first plane that is parallel to the first circuit board and thetermination is provided on a second plane that is parallel to the firstplane, the first and second plane spaced apart, wherein a third planeparallel to the first plane can be defined as extending through a centerof the transformer and the third plane is positioned between the firstand second plane.
 7. The communication node of claim 5, wherein thethird circuit board includes power over Ethernet (POE) circuitry and isconfigured to provide power to the first terminal set.
 8. Thecommunication node of claim 4, wherein the first and second terminalsets are insert molded into the housing.
 9. The communication node ofclaim 8, wherein the housing includes a first aperture aligned withtails of the first terminal set and further includes a second aperturealigned with tails of the second terminal set.
 10. The communicationnode of claim 9, wherein the tails of the first terminal set are bent soas to extend away from the first aperture.
 11. The communication node ofclaim 4, wherein the first circuit board has a first number of layersand the second circuit board has a second number of layers, the firstnumber being greater than the second number.